UNSW Business School

Already reconsidering your New Year's resolutions?

You're not alone. Despite the fresh start that the new year brings, many find themselves abandoning their resolutions within weeks. But why does this happen, and how can you break the cycle?

In his latest op-ed, Professor Peter Heslin from UNSW Business School explains why New Year’s resolutions often fail. He highlights the psychological traps, such as setting overly ambitious goals or focusing on outcomes rather than processes, which lead to frustration and eventual abandonment.

Instead of fixating on unrealistic resolutions, Professor Heslin suggests focusing on sustainable, incremental changes and aligning goals with intrinsic motivations. Read the full article here:

Have you found yourself reconsidering your New Year's resolutions already? If you've set New Year's resolutions and are already struggling to keep them, here's why they often fail – and what to do instead for a more sustainable path forward.

Happy New Year!

We’re looking forward to another year of co-creating value with our network of students, alumni, industry partners and thought leaders! We're building a robust content calendar that we'll share over all our social and digital platforms throughout 2025 so you can .

What ideas matter to you in 2025? What topics, insights, or events would you like to see more of on our social platforms this year? From our Business Of podcast to flagship events like Meet the CEO, tell us what you’re interested in, and we’ll add them to our list of ideas.

As the holiday season begins, we’d like to thank our students, alumni, industry partners, academics, and staff for contributing to the positive impact the UNSW Business School has made this year. Thank you for your ongoing support!

While we take a short break, our social channels won’t be monitored during the UNSW shutdown period. We’ll be back on 6 January 2025. Our Future Students team is available for special hours to answer your questions, you can reach them at www.unsw.to/call

Have a safe and happy holiday season!🎄

Looking for the perfect podcast to add to your holiday playlist? We've got you covered. Whether you’re planning your next big move, aiming to grow your business, or seeking inspiration for the year ahead, check out these episodes of The Business Of podcast.

Here’s our holiday 'podsicle' of must-listen episodes:

Filmmaking: Starting a new role in 2024? Learn from Emile Sherman’s journey from on-set producer to co-founder at See-Saw Films. https://pod.fo/e/28826e

hipages: Big aspirations? Find out how Roby Sharon-Zipser grew HiPages from a niche online platform to an ASX-listed company. https://pod.fo/e/2751b2

Creativity: Feeling inspired post-holiday? Considering a side hustle or new business venture? Explore how to blend creativity with commercialism. https://pod.fo/e/281d15

Prioritising Purpose: Learn how Adam McCurdie built Humanitix into a purpose-driven business that donates millions to charity. https://pod.fo/e/221f6e

Beyond Logos: Discover new ways to elevate your brand awareness in 2025. https://pod.fo/e/21d6d5

Risky Business: With summer heat and bushfire season upon us, learn how insurers prepare for the unexpected and develop resilience strategies in the face of climate uncertainty. https://pod.fo/e/202444

Kick back, relax, and get inspired: https://podfollow.com/the-business-of

Congratulations to Dr. Jane Zhang, School of Economics, and Dr. Francisco Barillas, School of Banking and Finance, on their promotion from Associate Professor to Professor at UNSW Business School.

Becoming a Professor is a significant milestone, reflecting exceptional contributions to teaching, research, and leadership. It requires a sustained record of impactful research, excellence in education, and meaningful engagement with the academic and professional communities. Dr. Zhang and Dr. Barillas have demonstrated these qualities, further advancing their fields and inspiring future generations.

We look forward to seeing their continued impact at UNSW Business School and beyond.

Congratulations to Alyna Arago, a UNSW Business School student in Accounting & Business Management, recipient of the 2024 Rising Stars Accounting Student Award and the Accountants Daily Excellence Award.

The Accounting Student Award recognises students who demonstrate exceptional dedication to personal and professional growth in the accounting industry. Alyna’s hard work and drive stood out among students nationwide, earning her the top spot. The Excellence Award, the highest honour of the night, recognised her as the top-scoring recipient across all award categories.

Alyna’s achievements are a reminder of the incredible impact young professionals can have on shaping the future of their industry. Congratulations Alyna! 👏

Congratulations to Associate Professor Fei Huang, UNSW Business School, recipient of the Australian Business Deans Council (ABDC) Award for Innovation and Excellence in the emerging applied category.

Her research addresses a critical global issue: ensuring fairness in insurance pricing models amidst the rise of AI and big data. By linking anti-discrimination laws, fairness criteria, and insurance pricing, her work has set a new standard for tackling indirect discrimination in the industry.

This research has already influenced end-user practices, received international recognition, and contributed to key resources for professionals and policymakers. Learn more about Fei Huang’s research and its societal benefits here: https://www.unsw.edu.au/staff/fei-huang

According to Professor Peter Heslin, UNSW Business School, learning to say "no" can be one of the most effective strategies for managing end-of-year stress. With deadlines looming and responsibilities piling up, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. But saying "yes" to non-essential tasks can come at the cost of your well-being, career progression, and work-life balance.

Saying “yes” to tasks outside your formal role—like organising workplace events—often doesn’t contribute to career advancement, says Professor Heslin. “Wise real-time prioritisation – balancing your goals against others’ agendas at work and during the forthcoming holidays will shape how you spend each moment and ultimately define your career and life.”

Learn more about the effective strategies for saying “no” in Professor Heslin’s latest opinion piece:

Wise ways to say “no” and why you should think twice before using them Learning how to say “no” can help manage the year-end workload crunch, protect your career, and foster a healthy work-life balance.

Congratulations to our newest 2024 graduates! 🎓

All those late nights and endless coffee runs have officially paid off.🥳

📸 Eliza Hopkins, Waqas Sattar, Phillip Meehan, Maigan Delaroche, Neda Yousefian, Jessica K., Kevin Kim, Hoang Ninh Pham, Weijia Qu, Jocelyn Cronin and Samuel Spencer.

Congratulations to Professor Pauline Grosjean, UNSW Business School, who received an Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Projects grant to research how masculinity norms contribute to persistent gender gaps.

Through a large-scale survey spanning 70 countries, her research will map cultural patterns of masculinity, examine their impact on gender disparities in areas like economics, health, and politics, and offer policy recommendations for fostering more inclusive economic growth.

The ARC supports high-quality research that delivers cultural, social, economic, and environmental benefits to Australia.

Learn more about her project and other discovery projects here: https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2024/11/UNSW-receives-more-than-41m-for-64-ARC-Discovery-Projects

Congratulations to our newest AGSM @ UNSW Business School graduates featured in today’s Australian Financial Review! 👏

Welcome to our global network of nearly 20,000 AGSM alumni and over 100,000 UNSW Business School alumni. Stay connected, and keep making an impact! 🌍

🎓 Ready for graduation season?

UNSW Business School has lined up an impressive group of alumni speakers for our December graduation ceremonies:

🎙️Ada Guan (MBA Executive 2005), CEO and Co-founder, Rich Data Co
🎙️Omkar Joshi (BCom 2012), Founder and CIO, Opal Capital Management
🎙️Stela SOLAR (BCom 2011), Managing Director, Data and AI, Accenture ANZ
🎙️Vivienne Yu, GAICD CEW FCPA (MBA 2002, MRE 1996), Independent Non-Executive Director, Heartland Bank Australia
🎙️Sara Ang (MCom 2006), Director of Sales and Marketing, Minor Hotels Group

👏 Congratulations to all graduating students—welcome to the UNSW global alumni network! 🌏

Last week, UNSW Business School launched the Practice x Implementation Science (PRAxiS) Lab, designed to bridge the gap between academic research and its real-world application.

Professor Karin Sanders, Senior Deputy Dean (Research & Enterprise), opened the event in partnership with the UNSW Business Insights Institute. Highlights included presentations of innovative projects on healthcare improvement, generative AI value creation, and social inclusion, along with a reverse pitch session on the responsible use of emerging technologies.

A panel discussion featured insights from Manisha Amin, CEO and Founder of Inclusive Design Collective; Charles Lee, Director at PwC Australia; Kate Harrington, Director at IPART; and Jay Hira, Director of Cyber Security at KPMG, who explored opportunities for industry-academia collaboration.

Learn more about the PRAxIS Lab here: https://www.unsw.edu.au/business/our-research/research-centres-institutes/unsw-praxis-lab

Exploring AI's potential in marketing—UNSW Business School of Marketing recently hosted an AI Marketing workshop, bringing together 150 Business School marketing students. Led by industry experts Alice Tang, COO of MA Asset Management, Linda Nguyen, Lead Solution Engineer at Salesforce and Christine E., Principal B2B Product Specialist at Salesforce, students practiced using Generative AI tools for tasks like researching keywords, refining audience targeting, and designing effective campaigns.

“AI can predict trends, but it’s your creativity that will set you apart,” said Alice. The workshop’s discussions explored the expanding role of predictive and generative AI, featuring case studies that highlighted successful AI integration across various sectors.

Given the strong interest in this field, the impact students will make by integrating AI into their future careers is essential for staying at the forefront of technology.

Hundreds of UNSW Business School alumni, industry partners, academics and guests attended in Sydney on Monday night. Scott Charlton, CEO at Sydney Airport, joined host Ellen Derrick, Managing Partner, Consulting, Deloitte Australia, for a wide-ranging conversation about the path to joining the C-Suite, the strategies he has employed to drive growth and sustainability, and the lessons learned throughout his executive career.

"I always solve problems backwards. So I don't start at the beginning and think, well, how do I get there in the end?" said Scott. "I always start with the outcome that we're gonna do. And then I try to work backwards every single scenario or every single step that I have to do."

If you missed it, you can watch the replay of here: https://youtu.be/FoKrQ2_Ve1w

The UNSW Tax and Business Advisory Clinic were honoured to welcome the Inspector-General of Taxation and Taxation Ombudsman, Ms Ruth Owen CBE GAICD, to their Clinic this week.

Ms. Owen observed the Clinic in action firsthand, including how they provide free tax and business advice to help those experiencing severe financial distress. This was followed by a roundtable discussion on systemic issues, bridging the gap between grassroots casework and evidence-based research.

The alignment with the Inspector-General’s Workplan for Systemic Reviews 2024/25 is particularly interesting and focuses on how the design and operation of the tax system can be improved to disrupt systems abuse by perpetrators of domestic violence - who currently use business structures and the tax system as a further tactic of abuse.

Identifying systemic issues in the tax system is central to the Clinic’s vision. It also involves pushing for reforms that don’t just fix issues at the surface but get to the root of economic inequities.